Who are Outdoor Afro’s partners? What do these partnerships mean? We are asked these types of questions frequently, and in response, decided to launch a short series of brand partner spotlights to share how they work with Outdoor Afro, and the passionate people who drive them. Introducing: Since meeting founder Rue Mapp at Outdoor…

Who are Outdoor Afro’s partners? What do these partnership mean? We are asked these types of questions frequently, and in response, decided to launch a short series of brand partner spotlights to share how they work with Outdoor Afro, and the passionate people who drive them. Introducing: In 2012, founder Rue Mapp was delighted to…

By Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk With the Sierra winter snowpack at historic lows, we at Outdoor Afro Northern California have been hoping for a “dump.” A heavy snowstorm last weekend would have enabled us to join our REI family for their annual Winter Trails Day event but also protect all of us in California from…

By Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk When the alarm went off at 6:00 am on Saturday, I was tempted to hit the snooze button. But then I remembered that I was going fishing that morning, and a familiar feeling took hold. I arose from my bed, checked the weather report, made my lunch and packed up…

We just came back from Outdoor Retailer, the largest outdoor lifestyle show of its kind in the country where leaders discussed how the industry might welcome people who are both “outdoorsy”, and “outsidey” This message rings true to our work that always strives to share the wide range of black connections to nature. In our…

By: Nkrumah Frazier, Outdoor Afro Leader, South Mississippi It’s hard to believe that it has been 4 months since I spent 4 days on a mountain with a group of strangers. On Friday, April 19th 2013 a team of African American nature enthusiasts converged on a California mountain overlooking the town of Lucerne, CA and…

By Zoë Polk As an urban dweller, I often look at maps of my city. Sometimes I’m looking at a map to find the fastest way home from work. A lot of times, I’m using a map to identify the best route to get out of the city and to the campground, hiking trail and/or swimming spot that I’ve been…

By Cliff Sorrell, Outdoor Afro Leader Bay Area Outdoor Afros Took the Challenge and Succeeded! On June 8th, 27 Outdoor Afros set out to hike Mount Diablo to support the African American men and women hiking Mount Denali to reach the summit as our goal. The hike was a 7-mile hike loop trail with over…

By Zoë Polk “CAN ANYONE NAME A SONG BY A BLACK ARTIST ABOUT BIRDING?” I asked. To be fair, I was having a little bit of fun with the group. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Oakland and we were about to begin our hike into the redwood forest. I had a song in…